Episode 11: Running Shoe Selection: How Do You Select The Running Shoe that Is Right For You?

You know the feeling when you walk into Bunnings for white paint: and you're faced with a whole wall of different shades of white, and don't know where to start!

Sometimes buying shoes for sport and recreation can feel similar - you walk into the retail store, and there in front of you is a mass of different colours, shapes, sizes, brands, categories ... along with a junior retail assistant ready to advise you on how best to part with your $250!

For anyone that is even just half serious about their footwear, you've probably heard of some of the following terms that relate to shoe selection and technological advancements: lasts, pronation and supination, motion control, maximalism and minimalism, barefoot running, rocker bottoms, stacks, pitches and drops, and the list goes on!

For this episode we have invited one of the most qualified people around to be able to be able to wade through the minefield that is shoes and footwear for sport: podiatrist Rick Osler has been a Director of Sportspods at Lifecare Prahran Sports Medicine for 21 years, Podiatrist at St Kilda FC in the AFL for 9 years, Founder & Director of Active Feet Retail Shoe Stores for 13 years, and podiatrist here at SSPC for 4 years. And to boot, he's used a few pairs of runners himself whilst training and competing in 12 ironman triathlon events. Plus, for his podiatry role, the footwear companies supply Rick  with all the latest versions of runners to personally test!

Rick knows shoes inside out, and he goes through all the technology, all the developments in shoe manufacturing over the years, tells us what works and what doesn't, and most importantly gives us a guide on how to walk into a retail shoe store and find a shoes that is right for you and your sport!

Before you purchase your next pair of runners, take a listen to an expert in the footwear field!